So...what is a liberal...what is a conservative?

This conservative vs. liberal stuff is getting SO old. Neither side is clearly defined and I don't know anyone (yet) who neatly fits into either camp. For instance:

My conservative slant:

Control borders....(terrorism concerns)

Anti-abortion...can I help if I believe fetuses are babies?

I believe in the right to private ownership of guns...(working in law enforcement, I get a certain satisfaction seeing a victim protect themselves and turn the table....and though I don't kill animals, I love tagging along on a hunt.

I hate to pay taxes. Hate it.

My liberal slant:

I believe healthcare should be available to EVERYONE!!!

I'm sick of big oil....high gas prices...gouging....etc.

I can't stand Dick Cheney....or tricky Dickey as I like to call him.

I'm from Louisiana originally and I think the feds boned this one up big time. We can have all the help in the world to a 3rd world vacation spot for rich people, but can't help out Americans in our back yard....yeesh.

Oh yeah...I'm a fairly big time conservationist. It's a family thing...I'm all about nature.

So where are you guys?

 

As old as humankind. Any dictionary should answer the question of your title.

liberal: A person who favors an economic theory of laissez-faire and self-regulating
markets

conservative: Opposed to liberal reforms

If, however, you should mean Liberal and Conservative...

 

which indeed I do....how observant.

 

That's because people, wrongly, use "liberal" when what they really mean is "left"; and "conservative" when what they really mean is "right." A liberal is someone who's open to change, and a conservative is someone who's not. Someone on the left, like me, is conservative about some things, and liberal about others. Same with someone on the right.

Most people know if they're on the left or on the right. Some will say they're neither; that they're moderates, etc. Hogwash! People know where they are. And I can't remember where I read it, but if memory serves, someone did a fairly comprehensive survey a while back wherein thousands of those who claimed to be "in the middle" or "moderates" were surveyed and, as it turned out, the vast majority of them were, in reality, more right than left. Those on the left are usually, the study found, more realistic about what they are.

As an aside, I've always thought that "moderate" was a weird word to describe someone's socio-political perspective, anyway. I mean, what would be the converse... someone who's immoderate?

Finally, there's an interesting little web application floating around out there that's not half bad at helping someone figure out what they actually are. It was pretty darned accurate in my case, anyway. You should check it out.

 

Another thought I had (but got distracted from including, in my previous post, by my going out and looking for the political quiz thingy) is that those on the right have done a magnificent job, in the past decade or so, of making "liberal" something of a dirty word. The left's response has been to begin using the word "progressive" instead of "liberal"... which, if you think about it, is kinda' more accurate, anyway.

 

It should be said that Gregg's link is to a libertarian site.

Another libertarian representation is the Nolan Chart. If not perfect, the Nolan Chart is certainly better than the bipolar (ha ha ha) left-right thing.

 

For the last century and not the last decade. Progressive? Collectivism is ativism.

 

So, then... as you can see, friendorfoe... the problem is exacerbated by the fact that no one can even agree on the words. One man's domestic is another man's imported.

 

Aha...well......I don't want to be labeled liberal, conservative, progressive.....I'll be a Proconeral.

Lookit...I just added a new political slant.

 

A liberal is a conservative who hasn't been mugged yet.

 

Our society and culture is so complex that I think anyone who calls themself a Liberal/Progressive or Conservative needs to go back to the drawing board.

 

Just my 2 cents...

I believe in Truth. And the truth lies somewere in the middle. The US and the World are better off with a liberal (democrat) in the White House and conservatives (Republican) in charge of local governments (States and Municipalities). When it comes to handling the economy conservatives are usually better, less taxes, more economic incentives to business. Unfortunatelly, the Republican party is too inclined towards playing war and commiting troops to military action. War is too expensive of a proposition in terms of money and human life. It should be fought only when absolutelly necessary. On the other hand when it comes to local law enforcement, administration of resources, conservatives are really good. Democrats at the state level just don't get the job done.

On a side note, I try not to give an opinion on abortion because I feel that since only women get pregnant, it is their issue not mine.

 

Why am I not surprised to find that the test says I'm a libertarian?

 

What's a Proconeral?

 

That's funny.


I think we are seeing how well a libertarian state works this month. It's called Louisianna. How they enoyin' no governments now?

 

Not hardly libertarian. Louisiana has Long had the Baby Huey of governmental administration.

If anything, the in-situation in Louisiana demonstrates the false promise of omnipotent government.

 

Re: Just my 2 cents...

World War I - Wilson (D)
World War II- FDR (D)
Korea - Truman (D)
Viet Nam - Kennedy/Johnson (D)

You just did.

 

Yeah, labels age badly

These evolving labels seem irrelevant in *honest* discourse (a rarity!) of politics or economics in modern America. The terms are overused to simplify (dumbdown) issues and divide Americans along imaginary lines of rightwing/leftwing, when (as JoAnn points out) the social/economic issues confronting our nation today are more complex than that...

Maybe it's because we have a two-party political system that we have a two-philosophy way of discussing "core values" (lol!)...yeah, that's it...Americans like to keep it simple...and one or two leading thoughts at a time is more than sufficient thinking for a couple centuries...

 

I think that the words 'liberal' and 'conservative' are virtually meaningless. And conversely, they mean everything.

It seems that America is dividing into two school-yard clubs, two gangs: The liberals vs. conservatives. The republicans vs. democrats. The reds vs. blues, which may be the best way to characterize it, since it reminds me of the 6'th century hippodrome chariot racing factions in Constantinople, around which all kinds of political grievances crystalized. Eventually the result was civil disorder and large scale loss of life.

We see it here on Degreeinfo, where most of our "political" posts (in reality they are nothing of the sort) are really exercises in creating divisions between us, social bonding with the homies on our chosen side of the line, and excoriation of everyone and anything across the divide. It's why so many political posts read like rants, and why so few of them have any interest in convincing opponents.

Maybe it says something unpleasant about a society where people are increasingly isolated individuals, without any strong social support from their families, their churches or their jobs. Just like poor kids from broken homes, people join virtual gangs.

 

4159 is your post count or your age?